Heiress of Ikana
by The Hero's Shadow
Summary: A letter concerning Kira's great uncle Dampè will have profound effects on her life, and possibly Ikana itself.
1. Prologue

AN: This should turn into a multi-chapter story, as long as I've got people still willing to read it.

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><p><em>A History of Ikana. Legend of the Four Giants. Myths of the Carnival of Time. A Warrior's Guide to Terminian Monsters. The Undead of Ikana.<em> Titles like these, while old and faded, were what appeared on the covers of books in the bookshelves that belonged to Kira's great uncle, Dampè. They had a thick layer of dust caked to them, and upon pulling out a book, she discovered many of the pages were sallow, with a few being torn from old age.

Like the books, the entire hut was seemingly ancient and bathed in grime. _I guess I shouldn't have expected anything else,_ Kira thought. According to the letter that she had recieved about a week ago from the Postman from Clock Town, Dampè had passed away nearly a year ago. Nobody was quite sure why his letter stating that the hut and everything in it, which was all that he owned and was to go to his niece Kira, had reached the post office so much later after he had deceased. Furthermore, nobody was sure who had sent it, who buried Dampè's body, and who knew that Kira was his niece. There was speculation that Dampè did not write the final statement, since he was not close to any relatives at all, let alone the niece mentioned in the final statement, but unwilling to go against the potential reality of going against a dead man's wishes, the letter was delivered.

There wasn't ever much mystery in Kira's life, so she found it strange that suddenly now it would come to her in the form of inheritance from a relative she might have met twice at most. Nonetheless, after losing her home in Clock Town to a freak fire accident and feeling unwilling to continue staying at Romani Ranch until more permanent lodgings were found, she gratefully took the offer of the old hut.

She remembered Cremia's reluctance to let her go. "Are you sure?" Cremia had asked doubtfully. "It's very far from town, and is in the middle of a graveyard."

Kira had shrugged. "It's just a graveyard. Maybe a bit spooky, but I don't see any real danger in it."

"What if you need help in case of an emergency? There won't be any soldiers stationed out there."

"I'll be fine," Kira laughed. "I have an old dagger and I planned on bringing the war horse with me."

Still skeptical, Cremia finally gave up.

Kira had left that night. Escorted by a guard, it had taken nearly three days to make it to the border of Ikana.

"Are you sure you'll be alright out here all by yourself, Miss?" he asked, frowning. "Patrols don't go far enough out here."

Slightly exasperated, Kira had replied, "I'll be fine. No need to bother the entire town for one person."

"If you say so..." but she had watched him write down specific directions to her abode later on a piece of parchment in between carrying her stuff inside once they finally made it to the graveyard.

The guard had reluctantly left a few hours ago, and Kira finally had time to snoop unsupervised through Dampè's small home. After examining the decaying books and changing the repugnant smelling bed sheets with her own, she wandered outside.

The old war horse, Onyx, was in the stall that had been newly built; Kira could see that it had been built recently, as it wasn't nearly as run-down as the "house." She hadn't heard any stories of Dampè owning a horse, but didn't think much of it.

By now, it was very late in the afternoon, and was within about half an hour of touching evening. The autumn sky lazily tossed orange across the clouds. Sunlight could barely leak through. Intertwined with the cool breeze was the scent of dead grass and isolation. All of the trees were bare of leaves, and stood with their branches slightly shivering like dry old skeletons.

Kira meandered down the pathway that led to the headstones. Many were crumbling at their corners and some were written in a language that she suspected to be ancient Ikanian. Keese swirled above her head, and although more of a mere annoyance, she drew her blade anyways and continued to slip through the graveyard. An unfamiliar uneasiness creeped slowly up her spine, that left small chills in its wake. However, a defiancy more familiar snuffed it out.

_I told everyone that I'd be fine by myself out here. I'd look ridiculous going back just because I felt a little creeped out_, she told herself. Turning her back on the graves, she made her way up the path towards her new home.

Unsure if it was the clattering of the bony tree branches, the occasional squawk of a Keese, or even her own magination, an eerie noise vibrated through the stagnant air. Unwilling to be chased out by a few superstitious beliefs or childish fear, she chose to pass it off as something rational. However, Kira could have swore that the sound, whatever it was, had come from the underneath the ground.


	2. Stalchildren

A/N: This would technically be the first chapter. The one before this was supposed to be a prologue. Just to clear that up.

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><p>A week had passed since Kira had settled into Dampè's former home. She had found many ancient texts and a few even older scrolls, and in between feeding Onyx and taking strolls around the graveyard to try and desensitize herself to its creepiness, she read them intently. Most of the time she would read outside, sitting in the coarse grass that Onyx would graze or propped against a tree. There were many books that were written in the same language that were encrypted on the headstones.<p>

Today, Kira had chosen to press herself against one of the trees that lined the path that led out of the graveyard while she read _Undead of Ikana. _The guard who had escorted her before and Cremia were right; as far as Kira could see from the entrance to Ikana Graveyard, there were no signs of any other people going to or coming from Termina Field.

She sat there for about an hour when the same noise she had heard the first night murmur through the wind again. It was a morose sound, earthly and irate. Jumping to her feet, she scanned the entire graveyard and saw nobody. Even Onyx's eyes darted around nervously, until finally he galloped to the upper section of the graveyard and back towards his stall.

That was when Kira could feel it; beneath her feet and deep into the earth, it felt like scampering skeletal bugs limping around. The rustling crept through to the surface in tiny waves. Sometimes, it was barely audible or next to impossible to hear; sometimes, Kira feared that something might just pop out of the ground. Her uneasiness continued to escalate, but her determinitation to stick it out through the strangess, at least until she found another permanent home, won over.

Sunset was beginning to penetrate the pale yellow sky that seemed to be present only over Ikana. Darkness would soon blossom and with it would bring the Stalchildren mentioned in the books she had been studying. Unwilling to stay outside to verify the accuracy of this phenomona, and a "early to bed, early to rise" kind of person ever since she had been staying at Romani Ranch, Kira decided that she would get Onyx settled into his stall and go to bed shortly afterwards.

Onyx was munching lazily on the half-dead grass, and was lead sleepily into his stall. Kira reached to dump feed into his trough, and to her dismay noticed that there was only enough left to feed Onyx tomorrow morning.

_I knew I forgot to do something today,_ Kira thought bitterly. She knew it wouldn't be safe to go so late, and doubted that by the time she reached Clock Town or even Romani Ranch, everywhere would be closed. Her only decision was to go tomorrow after breakfast.

As Kira made her way to her house, she glanced down the path again towards the headstones. The thought of Stalchildren being more than just myths terrified her, but at the same time she couldn't shake the fascination she had with wanting to see them with her own eyes. While reading _Undead of Ikana,_ she had come across a chapter on Stalchildren which were described as walking skeletons who had previously been soldiers of Ikana. The book had mentioned that they would only emerge from their graves after the sun had set completely.

The sun was plunging fast, taking all of its light with it. Kira shut the gate that seperated her section of the graveyard from the tombstones, and decided that she was ready to see the Stalchildren.

Icy drops of paralysis slithered down her spine as she peered over the gate in fervent anticipation. There was still a tiny, bleeding slit of sunlight scabbing the horizon, but within minutes vanished. Ikana Graveyard was dark and lightless, and for a few seconds, absolutely silent.

The next array of sounds exploded abruptly, and Kira felt her heart stutter. Her forest colored eyes widened as she matched the sound of ripping earth with the skeletal bodies pulling themselves to the surface world.

The Stalchildren's bodies were dry and umber colored; fiery red eyes glared unblinkingly. Their hands were chiseled down to claws, and their feet imitated. Crunching noises emitted from the friction created by their bones.

Some of them sprouted directly from the earth, others began to move aside the large headstones. Once on the surface, they all began performing tasks as if under orders to do so; there were a few that began circling the headstones in a very mannered procession. A few conjured up small fires that they sat around, and Kira could have sworn they were chatting to each other by the way their jaws moved. A few others drifted off to farther sides of the graveyard, swinging on tree branches or playing what looked like a game of tag.

_These are the frightening Stalchildren? _Kira almost laughed. They were certainly off-putting, but they were behaving strangely human. _Well, they ARE rumored to be deceased soldiers..._she reminded herself.

Feeling brave, Kira opened the gate slowly, spitting on it sometimes to prevent it from squeaking. She slipped past it and tiptoed down the path slowly, staring at the Stalchildren.

_I wish I had a Pictograph box. Next time I saw Cremia and Romani, they'd be amazed to see these things!_

Caught up in her thoughts, she didn't notice a tree root jutting rudely out in the pathway, and within seconds found herself sprawled on the ground, sputtering dirt out of her mouth. It was enough to draw the attention of the Stalchildren, who were now all staring at her, a few of the closer ones lumbering towards her.

"No, no!" she hissed, scrambling to stand up. Her ankle was tangled in the mess of roots though, and panic began to throttle her. The Stalchildren were painfully close, their creaking joints echoing in her ears. She fumbled for her dagger tucked away in her boots, and when she finally managed to remove and unsheath it, she thrusted the blade at the Stalchildren who had begun closing in on her.

They screeched and backed away as each recieved vigorous slashes from the dagger. When Kira was sure they were distracted enough, by their wounds, she slashed the roots and dashed back to the house, slamming the gate closed and tumbling into the small garden outside the door. She watched the Stalchildren baulk at the gate, staring intently at her with their blazing, unblinking eyes.

"Go away!" she yelled.

"Yes ma'am," they croaked, and Kira's jaw dropped as they submerged themselves into the ground, disappearing from sight.

The next morning bleakly dragged itself across the sky, the gray of dawn clashing hideously with the trademark yellow skies of Ikana Canyon. Kira's ankle was sore from last night, and even thoough she had gotten sleep, it hadn't been restful. A dull headache hid itself behind her forehead.

She wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, but Onyx needed food urgently, and she felt she deserved to shop around Clock Town a bit.

After feeding Onyx the last morsels of oats, she mounted her father's old war horse and lead him in the direction to Termina Field. The ride lasted about an hour, and soon she could see the outter walls of Clock Town, with guards standing at the East Gate.

"Good morning ma'am," one of the guards greeted her. "You look a bit under the weather. Rough night?"

"You could say that," Kira shrugged. She had a slight limp to her gait.

"Did you get into a fight with something?" the guard pressed, automatically noticing her sore ankle.

"No, I just tripped over some nasty roots," she replied.

"Be careful next time, yes?"

Kira nodded, and after tying Onyx to the post outside the gate for visitors' horses, she began to pass the guards.

"Wait a second, ma'am," the guard halted her. "Do you happen to live with a young woman out in Ikana Canyon?"

Kira shook her head. "I only live in Ikana Graveyard. I didn't know someone else lived out in the canyon."

"She's probably around your age," the guard commented. "She travels out here every so often. Rumor has it she lives with her father, who is an academic who studies and researches supernatural phenomenon."

Kira's interest peaked.

"Do you know this woman's name?"

"Er...Pallin? Petunia? Pomegranat? It starts with a P."

"Pamela?" chipped in the other, more quiet, guard who had been listening vaguely to the conversation.

"Ah, yes! Miss Pamela. She's been living in Ikana Canyon near the Ancient Castle for years now. I'm surprised you haven't seen her yet."

"Ikana Graveyard is a mile or two from the upper part of the canyon," Kira reminded him. "But I really must be going. I have a lot to do today."

Kira shifted past the guards and through the East Gate, mind slightly fogged. She hardly registered the pain from her twisted ankle as she passed the Milk Bar. When she had stayed with Cremia and Romani, they went to the Milk Bar every week. There was a chance they'd be coming again tonight, but she knew she had to be back home and inside her house before dark. Onyx couldn't stand outside all night unfed.

She meandered about town, looking for any houses that might be for sale. To her dismay, none that she could afford were available. Disheartened, she bought food for herself and picked up horse oats for Onyx.

As she was exiting the store that sold animal feed, she took a wrong step and wobbled on her injured ankle; just like last night, within a few split seconds, she was sprawled across the cobblestone ground. There was someone wriggling beneath her, and humiliated, found the legs a young woman with short brown hair being pinned beneath her torso.

"I am so sorry!" Kira said, lifting up enough to let the young woman out from underneath her. Her ankle throbbed with more pain, and Kira was unsure if she could get up again this time.

"It's fine, I'm more worried about you," the brown haired girl said, dark eyes narrowed in concern.

"I twisted my ankle last night, and I think I just twisted it again," Kira groaned.

The brown haired girl with the dark eyes outstretched her hand and pulled Kira unsteadily to her feet.

"You okay?"

"I think so."

"So what's your name? Where are you from?" the girl asked, handing Kira her bags of food.

"I'm Kira. I used to live in Clock Town and then Romani Ranch, but now I live in Ikana Graveyard. My great uncle left a will stating me the new owner of his old house."

"Do you mean old man Dampè?"

"Uh...yeah. How'd you know?"

"Me and my father visited him occasionally."

"Would your name happen to be Pamela?"

Pamela looked taken by surprise, but she nodded. There was something aritificial in her smile though; though she did look genuinely surprised, it didn't seem to be because Kira knew her name. The peculiarness struck Kira suspicious, but she let it roll off her like wax. Pamela was being polite to her, so it would be rude to question her so severely in public, of all places.

Not wanting to retain any eye contact with Pamela anymore, Kira said, "I'd best be off now. I need to make it home before dark."

Kira knew she might have mistaken Pamela's mysterious demeanor before, but the knowing tone of her voice and the sparkle in her eye was heavily-ladden when Pamela replied, "Oh, I'm sure."


	3. Family Tree

**A/N: I noticed a few of you added this to your Favorite Stories list; trust me, I'm flattered, but drop a review for me please? They're a little bit more encouraging for me. ;U**

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><p>The ride home from Clock Town was a brooding and solemn one, and Kira felt constant drips of paranoia that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up and her spine twitch.<p>

That Pamela girl seemed to know something that Kira did, or didn't, and there was no compassion in her eyes or concern. There was a staggering amount of curiosity though, and Kira was aware of the age old quote about being curious.

But what could Pamela know that Kira didn't? Moreso, what could Pamela want with her? Kira lived in an old, run-down shack in the middle of a haunted graveyard that she inherited from her deceased great uncle that she hardly remembered meeting.

_There was a lot of mystery about Dampè's letter stating who the heir would be..._Kira remembered. _Maybe she knows something about it that no one else does?_

She continued to ponder the possibilites, and soon realized that she was outside the graveyard. She saw the cliffs and ledges that led up to even higher part of the canyon. Her own curiosity was sparked.

_It'd be too dangerous_, she told herself warily. Pamela lived up there, and even though she was sure that the brown haired young woman was still back in Clock Town, she felt uneasy exploring up there. All the same, a strange yearning developed within her. It was magnetic, drawing her to the deeper recesses of the fallen kingdom. She desperately wanted, needed, to find out what was beckoning to her urgently within that dried up and abandoned canyon.

Finally caving in to the supernatural pressure, she decided that she would get ready for the remainder of the day, sleep soundly, and start off early in the morning to take advantage of the daylight. She had heard, and read, stories about Ikana. It had been a very bloody and war-hungry nation, and vengeful, dangerous spirits supposedly still roamed the territory.

_I must be crazy._

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><p>Night had bloomed, and Kira was busying herself packing a satchel of necessities for her, what she felt was suicidal, adventure. She had already finished bathing and brushing her auburn hair in the cracked and musty mirror that hung nailed to the wall. It bulged out slightly, but she shrugged it away as becoming deformed from old age.<p>

As she was throwing things in the bag and rearranging them, she felt another stroke of bravery; a door that she hadn't entered yet stood behind her. She always thought it was a closet, but wanted to satisfy her curiosity.

Like the gate outside, the door creaked loudly. Much to her surprise, a set of stone, crumbled stairs greeted her. She reached for a lamp and descended slowly.

The room was below was enormous, cold, and extremely dark. Flanking her on her sides, as the stairs spread out to a level of hallway before another staircase lead into the enormous room itself, was another library. Books upon books filled the shelves. Because of the sheer number of them, she felt overwhelmed and took the next stair case down to the large, open room. She peered around; except for a few patches of soil, and another staircase at the opposite end of the room, it was empty.

"Well, this is disappointing," she said aloud, her voice echoing off the walls of the underground room.

"Oh, is it?"

Kira twisted around, panic throbbing throughout her body.

"Show yourself!" she yelled, hoping she sounded intimidating.

"Why should I?" the voice cooed. She could see no body, nothing, that would indicate any other living person.

_...Living person._

"Are you a ghost?" she asked tentatively.

"Oh, you're good," chuckled the voice. "But, you've been living here long enough to know all of the petrifying secrets of this graveyard, no?"

"I wouldn't say all of them..." Kira replied uneasily.

"You're much less antsy than the last person who lived here," commented the spirit.

"By chance, was it an older man?"

"Why, yes it was. He was scared out of his wits of this place. Not sure why he stayed, but it could have had something to do with the lineage."

"The...lineage?" Kira repeated, confused.

"Yes, girl, lineage. You do know what that means?"

"Of course I do," she snapped. "I just have no idea what Dampè had to do with a _lineage_."

"Ohohoho!" giggled the ghost. "You moved here without the slightest idea of why you were given this territory to begin with?"

Embarassed, Kira replied, "I thought it just belonged to my great uncle, and he had decided to leave it with me."

"Well, that was part of it, yes. But there's something a lot more important to it than that, my dear girl." She heard a slight whisping sound, and the voice changed position in the enormous room.

"In fact," continued the ghost, "it was so important that there was a good bit of controversy to go along with it."

"I don't follow," Kira murmured.

"Let's make this interesting yes? I followed, what did you call him? Dampè?, about quite a bit during his stay here. He was terrified of me, but I learned a lot about him and this graveyard, and the whole if Ikana, really. I also happen to know where something that would be a lot of interest to you lies."

"Is this going to involve simple instructions, or a treasure hunt?" Kira growled.

"My, my. You're a fun conversation partner aren't you?"

Kira looked about, hearing the voice changed direction again. As she spun back a full 360 degrees, she let out a startled cry, and saw a figure before her.

It had gleaming yellow eyes under its cloak, and held a dim lantern. It cackled at her surprise.

"I suppose I can make it simple for you," it said, speaking directly to her. "It might shed some light on why you and Dampè were never murdered in your sleep during your stay here...by the paranormal anyways."

Kira knew the ghost intended to comfort her, but she just couldn't extract any kindness out of that sentence. And the last comment had her mind reeling, but she didn't think she could get a direct answer out of asking what the ghost meant.

"Why should I trust you, though?" she replied, eyes narrowing. "You're just a ghost."

There was more laughter, followed with, "I'm a Poe, dearest. A Big Poe at that. I've got a bit more credit and authority to my title that any garden variety Poe."

She steamed, "Oh, really? Poe, ghost. Same thing to me. You still haven't told me why I should trust you yet."

"Isn't the fact that I haven't attacked you yet proof enough?" asked the Poe innocently.

"How do I know you aren't waiting to attack me later?"

"I'm an impatient spirit."

Kira rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Okay, fine. Tell me where this thing is."

"I'm honestly surprised you haven't found it yet, but, it is in Dampè's house. It's a book. Two of them actually. One is a family tree of the family Ikana, and the other is your dear great-uncle's journal. Skip to page 247 and read through to 288. One is located behind the mirror and the other underneath Dampè's bed."

"How will any of this help me?" Kira asked.

"I never said anything about help, just interesting you. However you use the information is your call, dear."

Rolling her eyes again, Kira halfway spat, "Ugh, thanks."

"Anytime, dear. Oh, and I'd be much obliged to know your name?" the Poe sauntered over in front of her, as she had already begun returning to the staircase.

"Uh, Kira." She rubbed the back of her neck. "It'd be only polite if you told me your name, too."

The Poe laughed loudly. "I don't remember my name. You can just call me 'Poe' or 'the Poe' if you want. I don't care, really."

Kira shrugged. "Um, bye Mr. Poe." She scurried up the steps and dashed back into Dampè's house, slamming the door behind her. She lumbered about and tripped, crashing into the mirror, cursing that it almost fell to the floor and shattered. Instead, just as the Poe had said, a book fell out from behind.

_"Royal Family of Ikana_, written by supernatural scholar Vince of Ikana Canyon."

"Pamela's father wrote this?" Kira gasped aloud. She opened the book, and read the introduction:_ "The Royal Family of Ikana were a proud and sometimes malevolent people. They were war enthusiasts and their national past time was enslaving other tribes of the Eastern Canyons or visitors that found their way close to their territory. The Royal Family was advanced in their knowledge of fighting, as well as embalming and reverence for the dead. During the rule of King Kion du Ikana, the king who had been diagnosed as having severe mental conflictions, ordered that several members of the family who lived inside Ikana Castle be embalmed alive and thrown into the town Well. This contamination eventually helped lead to the extinction of the Ikana people, as water was difficult to come by._

_The Garo tribe helped slaughter many Ikana, and their spirits still linger in the kingdom, spying on the nation that had managed to destroy many tribes, hex the land and undead, and anger the Four Giants._

_In the last few pages of the book is the most up-to-date version of the family tree and all of their descendents._"

Kira thumbed through to the back few pages, and sure enough, a detailed genealogy was transcribed._ I wonder what all of this has to do with me? _she pondered. A thought that she had never really thought about was the absence of her parents. She vaguely remembered people that she would refer to as "mother" and "father", but more clear memories existed of her living with Anju and her husband, Kafei. She had grown up, moved into a different house, and had lived in Clock Town for a while before her house burned down. She had gone to live with Anju's friends, Cremia and Romani, and then had ended up here.

All she could remember of her parents were their names, mentioned to her by Anju's rather senile grandmother; her mother had been a woman named Kespi, and her father had been a man named Elex. Anju's grandmother had sometimes called Kira "Kespi" instead, much to Kira's exasperation.

Kira, these thoughts vaguely present in her mind, continued to read: "_Igos du Ikana was the last reigning king before the entire nation finally collapsed permanently. However, a few survivors, including Igos du Ikana's children, managed to escape and return to Termina. Igos du Ikana's three sons were, according to age, Hallè, Dampè, and Azamar. _

_Azamar went on to marry a Hylian woman, named Hezia, traveling from her native country, and produce one daughter, Taja. Taja married a man named Vince, and they produced a daughter named Pamela. Taja died soon after her successor was born. Pamela and Vince (the author of this book) reside in Ikana Canyon. Pamela, my daughter, is a blood relative of Igos du Ikana._

_The middle son, Dampè, never had children._

_Hallè, the eldest son, married an unnamed woman and gave birth to a son and a daughter; the daughter died unnamed, while the son, Elex, lived to marry a Terminian woman, Kespi. The two produced a daughter named Kira. Kira is also the blood relative of Igos du Ikana._

_Through my research, it has been discovered that blood relatives of the Royal Family of Ikana are able to efficiently communicate with the undead, and are recognized by them as descendents of the last remaining king. Any blood relative has command over the undead."_

Kira stared at the last page numbly. Dampè, her great uncle, had known all along that he was part of the Royal Family, and since he owned this book, obviously must have known that she was too. Her mind revolved around this new knowledge steadily; she came to a dawning realization after a few minutes of intense thought.

Dampè, as the last remaining son of Igos du Ikana, had the power to choose the next ruler of Ikana. He had clearly named Kira the heiress, and not Pamela.

Not Pamela.

Kira remembered her encounter with Pamela in Clock Town. She cringed, knowing that the iciness she could feel emenating off of Pamela was not just pure mystery; Kira owned not just Ikana Graveyard, but all of Ikana itself.


	4. Dampè's Fate

**A/N: Sorry for not updating in so long - aside from losing some files on my old laptop, I've been working on a quite a few other Zelda stories~**

**Also, sorry for the short chapter ;-; I'll try to make the next one longer!**

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><p>It was an hour before dawn was expected to stretch awake, so there was still a significant amount of darkness enveloping the graveyard. Kira slipped out of the door, fully packed and doubting her sanity.<p>

She made her way to the stable to feed Onyx, and while he leisurely enjoyed his breakfast, she cautiously approached the gate that separated the upper inclination of the stone arch and her hut from the tombstones and frolicking Stalchildren.

Swallowing dryly, she creaked open the gate, her dagger brandished, and surveyed the skeletal beings as they went about oddly human activities. Feeling less threatened, but still jittery, she tentatively began strolling down the path and towards the clusters of Stalchildren.

When their piercing eyes fell on her, she felt her heart jump into her throat, but she stood firmly, knowing that she would need to overcome her fear of them if she wished to navigate through Ikana and effictively communicate with them; something told her that other things more horrifying than Stalchildren existed beyond the cliff outside the graveyard, anyways, so it would be wise of her to get used to their ghastly appearance.

They clattered their way over to Kira, jaws clammering and claws nearly dragging against the ground. Many of them lumbered forward to greet her, while it seemed a few hung back to observe.

"Hello," she said quietly, when a few were in proximity of conversation distance.

"You are speaking to us?" the Stalchild closest to her asked. If he (she assumed it was male) still had facial muscles, Kira would have been sure his mouth would have been gaping in surprise. Instead, his jaw twitched in a rather gruesome manner.

"I am a descendent of one of your kings," she explained softly.

She was taken back when the entire groups' jaws clattered in what she expected was laughter.

"Of course we know that," he said. "I am just surprised you are not attacking us again."

She rubbed the back of her neck in embarassment. "I kind of didn't know you weren't malevolent until last night."

He nodded, although she watched his eyes focus intently on her dagger. "Well, even in death the army of Ikana is loyal to the Royal Family. I assume you need us?"

"I need information."

"It'd best be quick, the sun comes up in an hour."

"What do you know of Igos du Ikana, Ikana Canyon, and the family tree?"

The leader of the Stalchildren glanced at his comrades; they all passed a knowing glare (since they had limited facial movements for Kira to read) before the leader returned his gaze to her.

"You were named successor to Dampè, as himself, you, and his other niece were the only other living descendents of the Royal Family of Ikana. He knew he had to pick someone with compassion to rule amongst the dead to prevent another outbreak similar to one that happened many years ago when a foreign boy with a green tunic and snide fairy had to close the doors to Stone Tower Temple and heal the cursed land.

Dampè had also hoped that his successor could restore the once proud land of Ikana, to reclaim the throne and bear children that at least contained partial blood of the fierce nation and return the dead to their graves in peace.

However, he knew his other niece - "

" - Pamela," Kira interjected.

"- yes, Pamela, was not fit for the job. She is cold-blooded and would only harnass the power of the dead to bring further destruction to the country. If she were to reclaim the throne for herself and manage to bring Ikana to full power again, she would only repeat the terrible decisions that the war-nation made in the past.

Dampè was looking for someone with power and compassion to restore Ikana and its pride, and he bestowed that job upon you."

What seemed like hours but was only a few minutes passed as Kira wrapped her mind around the Stalchild's words. She let it process, confirming that she understood what he was explaining, before finally asking, "But if Pamela was so intent on restoring Ikana, why hasn't she done it by now?"

The Stalchild clicked its jaws together in laughter once more. "Since she is only a descendent and not the named heiress, she cannot command and control the dead, only speak to them. They feel free to attack her. When Dampè named you heiress, the entire population of the dead shifted our allegience to you, not her, and depict violence against you as unloyal and unlawful."

"If that's the case, your intention wasn't to attack me that night?"

"Not at all, ma'am, we were actually coming to greet you, but I suppose you took it the wrong way."

"I'm sorry, I did," she chuckled hesitantly. "Well, another thing, how did Dampè know that I was 'compassionate' enough to deserve this job?" How could he have known her personality and attributes if she could barely remember meeting him?

"He didn't believe anyone could be more cold and heartless than Pamela, therefor deciding he would choose anyone over her."

A waterfall of chills cascaded from the nape of Kira's neck to the tip of her spine. She had not only been entrusted with commanding an army of undead monsters, but also expected to somehow prevent a heartless young woman from stealing the throne - and yet, Kira wasn't even positive as to what Pamela had ever done to assure Dampè that she was unworthy of rebuilding and leading an infant nation. In about a week's time, her life shifted from just inordinate and slightly creepy (living in her dead uncle's old hut in a graveyard) to absolutely bone-chilling (discovering she was a descendant of an dead king and could control the undead) to suicidal (planning to prevent Pamela from becoming Ikana's new queen.)

"I have one last question..."

"Yes ma'am?"

"I plan on infiltrating Ikana today. What exactly should I do to ensure Pamela doesn't take the throne from me?"

There was a pause, and finally the Stalchild said in a somber tone, "Don't let her kill you like she killed Dampè."


End file.
